After a difficult year, cities around the world are looking ahead to recovery, and at Lime, we're stepping up to help them get moving. In Sydney, Australia, we're partnering with the New South Wales government on a first-in-the-world program that will incentivise sustainable, multimodal commuting as workers return to the office.

The pilot program will start with 10,000 eligible users of the Sydney public transport system and its signature Opal Card. Riders who use their digital Opal Card to pay for both a public transport trip and a Lime bike trip within an hour will receive a three dollar credit on their card. With credits for mixing public transport and other sustainable options, the program aims to encourage a return to public transport after a difficult year for systems across the world. The Department for Transport in New South Wales cited reducing car traffic in Sydney as a primary objective for the new pilot program, set to start in mid 2021.

"At Lime, we're driven by the urgent need to solve the global climate crisis and this starts with providing sustainable alternatives to personal cars," said Lauren Mentjox, Australia and New Zealand Government Relations Director for Lime. "Public transport is fundamental to achieving this goal, so we're excited that Opal Card users will now have even more incentive to connect from public transport to Lime e-bikes for their first and last-mile instead of hopping in a personal car. This visionary initiative from the New South Wales Government provides a model for cities around the world to follow and we appreciate their leadership."

Cities globally are confronting a potential catastrophe, often referred to as “Carmeggedon,” anticipating that commuters who used public transport before the pandemic might opt for their personal cars out of fear once they return to the office. Yet, city streets are unable to accommodate hundreds of thousands of new car commuters, which would leave only crippling traffic, tons of carbon emissions and dangerous streets for pedestrians, cyclists and other users.

In guidance and research from a number of academic sources, public transport has not been found to be a source of COVID-19 transmission and systems have largely implemented mask policies on public transport to keep riders protected. When combined with the open air, socially distanced ride a Lime bike provides, riders can safely, sustainably and quickly get where they need to go.

Partnerships with public transport are just one way Lime is helping to get cities on the Ride to Recovery. Lime is also providing free rides in many cities, including San Francisco, London, Greater Manchester and Tel Aviv, to those traveling to receive their vaccination so cities can get healthy and moving again.

Healthy, vibrant, people-first cities are core to our mission and we’ll continue to work alongside city partners and local community-based organisations to build back better and more sustainably.